Twilight teacher reveals vampire flick role is a big hit with the ladies

"Because I play a teacher who has an open ear and a kind heart people really open up about how much they love the characters or they love the film.

"It is a departure for me because I am usually in 'men' films. The irony is I am being much more myself in this than anything I have ever done."

He was keen to break away from the type of character parts that had seem him pigeonholed as a "detective or crazy guy" starting with his first major movie role as the ill-fated Willie Sims on the rambunctious Prison-Break-on-a-plane
José recalls learning a valuable lesson about Hollywood pecking orders when he arrived on set, ready to film a scene with Malkovich.

"It was two pages of insults that he gives to me that force me to break down and try to shoot him.

"I went to Jerry Bruckheimer, the producer, and said 'I don't know whether I can do that. I am a DEA agent, a tough guy'.

"He said 'No, no. John loves these words.

"So John comes out of hi trailer and introduces himself to me. Just 'Hello', dismissive but kind.

"Then he turns to Bruckheimer and goes 'I'm not saying these words'. And Jerry says to me 'We are not saying those words'.

"So I'd fought to have those words taken off and Malkovich just came and pulled them

"And when he shot me he seemed to be doing nothing. I was going insane, putting my heart into it and Malkovich looked like he was just ready for lunch. Then I saw the stuff in the dailies and his magic was there. I was just blown away by it.

"As a person he told me tales between takes about the theatre and being an actor. It was actually a great experience being killed by John Malkovich."

José was in Birmingham at the Metropole Hotel to attend the Twilight Proms. An unusual twist on a typical fan convention, José, together with Daniel Cudmore and Charlie Bewley, who play Volturi guards in the Twilight sequel New Moon, attended a"prom" in London on one night then headed for the Midlands the next day where they were the star attraction at a second prom.

"This is my first visit to England and my first convention," said José.

"It's an experience. I am sure CSI conventions (he plays by-the-book Detective Chris Cavaliere in the long running police/forensic drama) are very different from this."
He almost missed being cast in Twilight as the teacher was originally called Mr Banner but the director Catherine Hardwicke wanted more ethnic diversity.

"I became who I am in the film to reflect a culture which has people of colour blended into society, which I think is a great thing."

He admits he was surprised when Catherine was passed over in favour of American Pie helmer Chris Weitz for the sequel.

"We owe Twilight's emotional strength to Catherine. She has such a pulse into teenagers and was able to extract such reality and translate it from the book to the film.

"She definitely hit a home run and really gave them a start.

"It was surprising to hear she wasn't directing the sequel. That one is in the hands of the studio and the powers that be but I imagine it had a lot to do with a plan they already had in place. From what I know she is good with it."

The second sequel, Eclipse, is to be directed by UK film maker David Slade, who has already cut his teeth, so to speak, on vampire lore having made the comic book-based chiller 30 Days of Night.

José is not scheduled to appear in New Moon but he has been busy concentrating on a very personal project, securing the rights to a book written by journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski about the so-called Soccer War. This was a four day battle over reform and immigration, the tensions inflamed by the fact the two neighbouring countries would be facing each other in qualifying matches for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

"It is an interesting blend of war and sports," says José. "I am going to be portraying Honduran and Salavadoran national teams from that time and I am going to get Latin players.

"There are some playing here in the UK, like Wilson Palacios."

Palacios was originally set to be one of Steve Bruce's signings for Birmingham City after impressing the squad while on loan. Sadly Palacios made only seven appearances for the Blues because of personal reasons. His younger brother Edwin was kidnapped in October 2007 just a month after his debut. Although a ransom was paid Edwin's remains were discovered this May following a confession by two gang leaders.

Palacios now plays for Tottenham after a spell with Bruce at Wigan, Coincidently the Lactics line-up currently includes two other Honduran players that José might want to consider casting, Hendry Thomas and Maynor Figueroa.

As well as producing José plans to play a friend of the East European journalist through whose eyes the story is being told.

He has a wish list of people he would like to have direct it, including actor/director Liev Schrieber, Roman Polanski or Stephen Frears.

"It is pipe dreaming but I want someone who has the sensibility for a small, personal film."